Scotopelia peli
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Pel's fishing owl (Scotopelia peli) is a large species of owl in the family Strigidae, found in Africa. It lives near rivers and lakes, and feeds nocturnally on fish and frogs snatched from the surface of lakes and rivers. The species prefers slow-moving rivers with large, overhanging trees to roost in and forage from. It nests in hollows and the forks of large trees. Even though two eggs are laid, often only one chick is raised.
The species' common and specific name honours Hendrik Severinus Pel, who was governor of the Dutch Gold Coast (now Ghana) from 1840 till 1850. Pel's fishing owl is one of the largest owl species in the world. Among the world's owls, it ranks as the fifth-heaviest on average, the seventh-longest in length and measured wing chord, and fourth-longest in mean wingspan, although not all large species have had measured wingspans. It measures 51–63 cm (20–25 in) in length, spans around 153 cm (60 in) across the wings and weighs up to at least 2.35 kg (5.2 lb). One male was found to weigh 1.72 kg (3.8 lb) and four females averaged 2.19 kg (4.8 lb), it may outrival the snowy owl (only around 4% lighter on average in six datasets) as... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Liwonde National Park | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 3 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 5 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 6 | South Luangwa National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 7 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 8 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 9 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 10 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pel's Fishing-Owl sighting in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, based on 52 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 140th most-seen of the 257 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May, August–October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pel's Fishing-Owl in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–April, June–July and November, the lowest months. Those are among South Luangwa National Park's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain a month against 310 mm in January.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pel's Fishing-Owl sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Among the best
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Pel's Fishing-Owl sightings, South Luangwa National Park ranks 6th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Meru National Park (Kenya, about 10%), Liwonde National Park (Malawi, about 10%) and uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Strigidae
The closest relatives of the Pel's Fishing-Owl that you can see in South Luangwa National Park (family Strigidae, Typical Owls) are Verreaux's Eagle-Owl (about 10%) and African Wood-Owl (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pel's Fishing-Owl is recorded against all the birds logged in South Luangwa National Park (52 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
